The leader of the Wampís indigenous community in Peru has urged the government to declare a state of emergency to address the growing crisis of illegal mining in the Amazon. Teófilo Kukush, president of the community located near the Ecuadorian border, accused illegal miners of using children as "human shields" to prevent authorities from taking action against them.

In an interview with local radio station RPP, Kukush claimed that miners are offering financial incentives to some residents and resorting to placing children, aged between 5 and 10, in front of the dredges used to extract gold from rivers during police raids.

Government officials have not yet responded to these allegations. However, the ongoing conflict over illegal mining has led to violence, with at least 30 deaths reported in the past two years. In July, an indigenous land rights activist was found dead, and community leaders say numerous others have been killed due to disputes involving miners, loggers, and drug traffickers.

According to Peru’s financial regulator, the Superintendency of Banking, Insurance, and Private Pensions, customs authorities recorded over $1 billion in transactions linked to illegal mining between January and October last year. Official data shows that Peru produced 108 million grams of fine gold in 2024, a 6.9% increase from the previous year, with nearly half of the supply coming from small-scale miners.

The government has registered 85,000 artisanal miners, mainly from poor and remote regions, but only 20% of them have formal permits. The remaining miners either operate with suspended permits on land owned by formal companies or work illegally.

The growing crisis has intensified calls for stronger enforcement measures, with indigenous communities demanding immediate government intervention to protect their people and lands from the devastating effects of illegal mining.